Pharrell Williams Partners With Spike Lee To Film ‘American Express Unstaged’ At The Apollo

Pharrell Williams has been a very busy man! Currently touring cross country, and collaborating on a show with Bruno Mars during his own tour; it almost seems like Pharrell Williams is in multiple places at the same time.

This time he was rocking the stage at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. This same theater has hosted some of the biggest names in R & B and soul music: Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Little Richard, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson, to name a few. After his June 3 performance at the Apollo, it looks like Pharrell can hang that same feather in his (very large) hat.

The Toronto Sun published a review of the show, saying that Pharrell ‘entertained 1,500 or so lucky fans gathered inside the intimate Apollo Theater in Harlem on Tuesday night.’ The show is one of a series that Spike Lee is directing for the ‘American Express Unstaged’ live music series. It is quite clear that Pharrell’s star is on the rise with this new engagement, though to hear him tell it:

There are no stars up here, only suns!

Though some reviews of his performance discussed some technical issues with Pharrell’s overall performance and vocals, it is clear that he and the crowd had a good time. During the set, he performed some classics, with surprise appearances from T.I. to perform with him on the track “Blurred Lines” and also from Busta Rhymes. The set came to a close with his internationally recognized hit single “Happy,” a song which has taken on a life of it’s own and arguably put Pharrell on the next level.

Millions of fans were endeared even further to Pharrell Williams after a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, when he broke down in tears after watching videos of people all over the world dancing to his song “Happy,” which was also featured on the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack.

It looks like showing his human side has been paying off royally for Pharrell. He keeps dominating news trends, selling out shows, and chalking up album sales all the while being visibly humbled by it all:

“I can’t believe I’m here right now in the middle of Harlem!” Pharrell exclaimed during his performance at the Apollo.

He then went on to tell the crowd that he studied under a music teacher who was from Harlem, so of course it was nice to see it all come full circle. It appears that, although Pharrell still has a thing or two to learn about the finesse of performing (something that his buddy Bruno Mars could probably teach him), he is well within his element, at least if his fan base and album sales are any indication.

Currently, Pharrell boasts more than 3 million followers on Twitter, 7 million on Facebook, and hundreds of millions of plays on his music videos on YouTube.

[Image credit: Getty Images]